Tsunami

Tsunami - Page Text Content

S: Tsunami

BC: Now be careful when you go to the beach or ship, cause there might be a tsunami.

FC: TSUNAMI | By Jeremy Herman

1: It was a normal day in Japan, when all of a sudden a giant wave came rushing their way."''It's a tidal wave!'' yelled a man. Wait did he say ''tidal wave?'' Tidal wave is the wrong term; it's really called a ''tsunami.'' | i | The tsunami in Japan

3: Tsunamis are groups of waves caused by volcanoes erupting, a landslide, an earthquake, or a meteorite crashing from space. They cause lots of damage to the land and people. They move large rocks, boat, even cars. | A volcano erupting | How They're Made

4: Most of them happen in the Pacific Ocean, in the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is a circle of volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. Japan and Hawaii has been hit by more tsunamis than other regions. But tsunamis don't only happen in the Pacific Ocean, they happen all over in world. | The Ring of Fire | Where They Are

5: Tsunamis are also fast, Chile had a earthquake, and fifteen minutes later they had tsunami. Tsunamis can travel 600 miles per hour.!This is because the deeper the water, the faster the waves. So shallow water makes tsunamis slower. | Earthquake in Chile | About Tsunamis

6: Wavelengths also make tsunamis faster. A tsunami wavelength can be up to 300 miles long. It is caused by wind. The wavelength is the length between waves. When the wavelength gets shorter a giant wave is formed. The maximum height of a tsunami is called a run-up. They can get up to 100ft high. Deep water makes the waves only a few feet high. | About Tsunamis 2

7: In 1965, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) was formed when scientists came together to warn people of tsunamis. They look for waves and water levels near the epicenter of an earthquake. They measure it with a seismograph. If they spot a tsunami, they send a watch and warnings by radio and television. | Seismograph | PTWC

8: Famous Tsunamis | - In June 15, 1896 Sanriku struck on the island of Honshu on Japan's Pacific seaboard - An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale unleashed a tsunami causing a death toll of more than 27,000. - In Jan 31, 1906 an earthquake registering 8.8 on the Richter scale off the coasts of Colombia and Ecuador produced a tsunami claiming about 1,000 lives. _ In Nov 4, 1952, along the Kamchatka Peninsula on the country's Pacific seaboard experienced one of its worst earthquakes, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale and causing a massive tsunami felt all the way across the Pacific as far as Chile and Peru. More than 2,300 people died.

9: _- In May 22, 1960, a 9.5 strong earthquake was followed by a devastating tsunami affecting Pacific rim countries including the Philippines and Japan. The death toll was 5,700 in Chile, 61 in Hawaii and 130 in Japan. - In Aug 16, 1976, a tremor caused a tsunami >which left 5,000 dead on the Filipino island of Mindanao. - In Dec 12, 1992, in Flores, Indonesia, a tremor touched off several tsunamis, swamping the island of Flores with 2,000 deaths. - In July 17, 1998, in Papua New Guinea - following two earthquakes each measuring 7.0, a tsunami ravaged 30 kilometers of northern coastline, sweeping away seven villages with a loss of more than 2,000 lives, according to official statistics. Local sources put the death toll at between 6,000 and 8,000.

10: In Aug 17, 1999, in Turkey - a 7.6 tremor struck the north-west and center of the country claiming some 17,000 lives and causing a devastating tsunami. In December 26, 2004, in Asia - An earthquake in the Indian Ocean measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale set off a tsunami that struck over 10 Asian and three African countries, leaving at least 130,000 people dead. | The tsunami in Hawaii

11: Tsunami Safety | If you hear a tsunami warning. on the T.V or radio, quickly evacuate to high ground. But don't watch it come to shore, because many people have died watching it hit. | A tsunami evacuation route

12: Experiment | Fill a two liter bottle half full with water and blue food coloring. Then fill another bottle with sand. Next hold the bottle next to the first one, and use duct tape to secure the bottles together. Swish it back and forth and watch the tsunami effect. | Materials | 2 two litter bottles sand water duck tape